


Flowers & Butterflies (Fleurs et Papillons)

by WolfInAStar



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Butterflies, Drarry, Flowers, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Papillons, Pls protect my babies at all costs :(, References to Depression, Self-Harm, Self-Harming Draco Malfoy, Self-Harming Harry, fleurs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:14:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29916744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfInAStar/pseuds/WolfInAStar
Summary: Harry and Draco find themselves helping each other when their mental health decline during their eighth year at Hogwarts.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Flowers & Butterflies (Fleurs et Papillons)

**Author's Note:**

> PLAYLIST
> 
> • A la Clair fontaine (French lullaby)  
> • Equation - Camille  
> • The Call - Regina Spektor  
> • Vienna - Billy Joel

Harry was sad.  
It’s not like he tried to be sad...he simply was.

No one could fully understand what he was going through and all the emotional distress was finally catching up with him all at once.

He found himself in the prefect’s bathroom alone, fighting not to do with his skin what he did when he lived with the Dursley’s.  
Fighting with his own thoughts.  
And probably a Dementor’s presence would’ve felt warmer than how he felt on the inside.

He was so tired.  
So fucking tired.  
He just wanted to rest for a bit.  
He wanted to breathe for just one second.

Distant sobs were heard. His own, he realised.  
But he couldn’t feel it.  
He could see the blood dripping down his left wrist but he couldn’t feel it.  
Why couldn’t he feel it?  
He was floating.  
None of it felt real.

Maybe nothing was real.

**~•~**

Draco watched Harry unconsciously.  
It had become a routine for him, checking on Harry that is. Draco knew the feeling too well not to notice.

He noticed that Harry was eating less as the weeks went by. He noticed how Harry’s eye bags were noticeable one day and gone the next, meaning that he was glamouring them. He noticed the fake smiles, and how Harry didn’t seem happy. He noticed how Harry disappeared at least two times a week.  
And he noticed how no one else seemed to notice.

So one day, he followed Harry.

-“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you.”- said Myrtle.

-“Is it bad?”- Draco asked shakily.

-“He’s in pain. Like a lot of us.”-

Draco entered despite Myrtle’s warning and found Harry on the floor, blood dripping down his wrist and pained sobs fulfilling the air.

Harry sniffed and quickly wiped his tears away, but Draco sat down gently in front of him and took out his wand.

-“What are you..”-

-“Scourgify.”- Draco whispered. The blood was instantly gone. Harry observed how Draco took out bandages from his bag.  
-“Now, let’s see...papilio incantatem.”-

A moving butterfly adorned Harry’s injured wrist.

-“This butterfly is very much alive, as you can see. If you hurt yourself in any way, it will die and fall off from your wrist.”- Draco told him, as he bandaged Harry’s wrist, hiding the butterfly.

-“Obviously, you can glamour them as I’m sure you’ve done in the past; however, I suggest you keep the bandages at least for three days, otherwise they might get infected.”-

-“Why are you doing this?”- Harry asked suspiciously. Draco shrugged.

-“Because no one else is doing it and I can.”-

Harry decided to give him the benefit of the doubt,  
-“And you won’t tell anyone?”- He asked cautiously. Draco shook his head.

-“We can even pact it if that’ll make you feel more comfortable.”- Draco suggested. Harry shook his head.

-“For once, I’m going to trust you.”- Harry said.

-“Well, for once, I’m going to trust you too.”-

**~•~**

Draco gasped and his eyes fluttered open.  
It was horrible.  
He needed to get away.

He took his cloak and silently made his way to the Astronomy Tower.

-“Fleur incantatem, fleur incantatem, fleur..”- his sobs kept him from getting more flowers on his wrist. The Dark Mark was fully covered in them, but it was still there. It would always be there.  
-“J’ai perdu maman  
Sans l’avoir mérité  
Pour un bouquet de roses  
Que je lui refusai  
Il y a longtemps que  
Je t’aime  
Jamais je ne  
T’oublierai.”- Draco sang in between his sobs. He missed his mother so much.

-“Malfoy?”- A voice called. Draco gasped and took out his hand.

-“Who’s there?”- Harry took off his invisibility cloak and smiled shyly at him. Draco visibly relaxed and proceeded to sit back again at the edge.  
Harry sat beside him, glancing at the moving flowers that laid over the Dark Mark. Most of them were narcissus, but there were a lot of water lilies and daisies as well.

-“What were you singing?”- Harry whispered, watching the moon.

-“A french lullaby, but I changed a word.”- Draco answered softly.

-“Sing another song?”- Harry requested.

-“It started out as a feeling  
Which then grew into a hope  
Which then turned into a quiet thought  
Which then turned into a quiet word  
And then that word grew louder and louder  
Til it was a battle cry  
I’ll come back when it’s over  
No need to say goodbye..”- as Draco sang, Harry kept whispering “Fleur Incantatem” on Draco’s arm.

Harry realised that Draco had scars too and, unable to contain himself, he traced them gently.

Draco didn’t flinched or moved away. No more words were exchanged, nor were they needed. They simply enjoyed each other’s company in silence, watching the moonlight.

**~•~**

-“Alright, love?”- Blaise asked Draco, handing him some pumpkin juice.

He was tired, but he nodded anyways.  
He wasn’t sleeping all that much.  
Actually, he wasn’t sleeping...at all.  
He only slept on the nights he met Harry.

They weren’t friends.  
They didn’t greet each other in public or sat together in classes. No.  
They simply were two individuals that understood each other.

-“What’s that on your wrist?”- Draco heard Ron say.

Draco was walking with Pansy and Blaise towards Ancient Runes.

-“Oh, butterflies.”- Harry answered nonchalantly, but Draco saw how Harry pushed down his robes to hide his wrist.

-“I saw them move! Nice touch by the way, how’d you do it?”- Hermione asked excitedly.

Harry shrugged and kept walking.

They weren’t friends. Draco had to remind himself when he felt his heart drop a bit.

  
They weren’t friends.

**~•~**

-“You’re falling asleep, Draco. Let’s get you to bed.”- Harry said gently when Draco rested his head on Harry’s shoulder for way too long.

-“No, please. Just a little bit longer.”- Draco pleaded with his eyes closed.

-“You’re not sleeping, are you?”- Harry asked. Draco sighed and lifted his head.

-“Not really, it’s not important.”- Draco told him. Harry shoved him playfully.

-“Of course it is!”- Harry said fiercely and then softer,  
-“What’s wrong?”-

-“I can’t really sleep.”- Draco admitted bashfully.

-“You sleep just fine with me.”- Harry said and then he realised,  
-“Oh. OH!”- Draco laughed brightly, making Harry laugh as well.  
-“Okay, I can sleep in the Slytherin dorms with you, if you want.”- He offered.

Draco’s eyes widened.

-“You’d do that for me?”- He asked, genuinely shocked.

-“That’s what friends are for.”- Harry answered.

 _Friends_.

-“But what if someone catches you?”- Draco asked concerned. Harry smirked.

-“I’ve got my Invisibility Cloak.”-

Draco thought about it for longer than he should’ve, yet Harry waited patiently for his answer.

-“And this won’t affect your sleeping schedule?”-

-“Course not! I need a break from Ron’s snores anyway. He always forgets to cast the silencing charm.”- Harry said with a laugh.

-“Alright then, if you’re absolutely sure about it.”- Draco told him. Harry nodded solemnly and stood up.

-“Let’s go.”-

Draco guided him to his room and, casting a silencing charm around them, he sat on his bed.

Harry quickly made himself comfortable but Draco was really fucking nervous.

-“Come on, Draco. M’sleepy.”- Harry said, tugging him from the sleeve of his shirt.  
-“It’ll be right, I promise.”-

Draco laid beside Harry rather stiffly.

-“Come on, you twat. I don’t bite.”- Harry teased. Draco sighed and turned to Harry, hesitantly putting his arm around Harry’s waist and resting his head on Harry’s chest.

Harry caressed his hair and started singing ever so softly,  
-“Slow down you crazy child  
You’re so ambitious for a juvenile  
But then if you’re so smart,  
then tell me why are you still so afraid? Hm  
Where's the fire? What's the hurry about?  
You better cool it off before you burn it out  
You got so much to do and only  
So many hours in a day..”- Draco drifted off to sleep.

Maybe they were friends after all.

**~•~**

-“You’re what!?”- Ron exclaimed offended.

-“I’m friends with Draco.”- Harry said flatly.

-“Harry, are you absolutely sure about this?”- Hermione asked cautiously.

-“He’s changed. He really has.”-

-“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it!”- Ron said angrily.

-“If you have a problem with it, spit it out.”- Harry said, equally heated.

-“Yeah? Well, if you must know, I have no ‘ _problem_ ’ with you befriending the ferret. You could befriend Moaning Myrtle for all I care, but the fact that you hid it from us all this time!? What if something had happened to you, huh!? What if he hadn’t changed!? I’m thankful he did but what if he hadn’t, Harry? What then, huh?”- Ron said with pain in his voice.

-“Ron..”- Harry hugged him tightly and Ron hugged him back.

-“You little shit. You can talk to us.”- Ron told him, blinking angry tears away.

-“I know.”- Harry whispered.

**~•~**

-“I already knew.”- Blaise stated flatly.

-“Wait what!? How could you possibly know? I didn’t know!”- Draco asked shocked.

-“Please darling. I’m your best friend and you’re not exactly subtle about hiding it. You literally give him heart eyes every time you watch him.”- Blaise said shrugging.

-“So, let me get this straight.”- Blaise snorted.

-“You’re anything but straight.”-

-“Hilarious. So, you knew that I liked Harry before I did and you didn’t bother to mention it!?”- Draco was miffed.

-“Well, yeah. Pansy and I both knew it, but we wanted to let you discover it. You’re not a child anymore, Draco.”-

-“PANSY KNEW!? Is there anyone who doesn’t know?”- Draco asked dramatically.

-“Considering his obliviousness, I’m gonna say Potter.”- Blaise teased.

-“Blaise!”-

-“Draco!”-

Draco scoffed.

-“You’re literally impossible, you know?”- Blaise gave him a kiss on his cheek.

-“Ah, but you love me.”-

-“Yeah, I think you’re delusional.”-

**~•~**

-“Harry.”- Draco breathed. Harry had invited him to have lunch outside with Ron and Hermione, the pair immersed in a game of Wizard’s Chess.

-“You came! Come sit, I made some pastries.”- Harry said with a grin, making Draco’s heart swell with affection.

-“Malfoy.”- Both Ron and Hermione greeted at the same time and then laughed.

-“Weasley, Granger.”- Draco greeted politely. Then he turned to Harry,  
-“A-Are you sure it’s alright for me to be here?”-

-“Why wouldn’t be?”- Harry asked innocently.

-“I..well, I don’t want to...am I even welcome here?”- Draco asked, very confused.

-“Course you are.”- Ron said without taking his eyes from the chess board,  
-“Knight to C6. Check.”-

-“You’re Harry’s friend, are you not?”- Hermione said with a shrug.

Draco blinked and looked back at Harry who was grinning.

-“Shall we eat then?”-

**~•~**

Harry was acting weird.  
He was avoiding Draco, and the latter didn’t like that one bit. So when he finally caught him in the Astronomy Tower one night, he confronted him about it.

-“You’re avoiding me.”- Draco stated, sitting beside Harry.

-“I’m avoiding everyone, Draco. You’re not that special.”- Harry spat, but Draco seemed unfazed.

-“What’s wrong?”- Draco asked.

-“Nothing’s wrong, okay!?”- Harry exploded, fidgeting with his fingers.

-“Harry, show me your wrists.”- Draco commanded. Harry shook his head and sniffed,  
-“Harry, show me your wrists.”-

Harry did as told and there it was.  
All the butterflies had left Harry.  
Instead, there were new, messy scars all over Harry’s arm.

-“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I...I relapsed and I didn’t want to disappoint you because I was doing so fucking good and now I fucked up. I was just so overwhelmed. It’s Sirius’ death anniversary and I couldn’t handle it.”- Harry sobbed. Draco hugged him and Harry sobbed louder.

-“Listen to me, Harry. You could never disappoint me, okay? Relapse happens and it doesn’t make your feelings or your progress invalid. Only next time you’re thinking about it, please talk to me, okay?”- Draco said. Harry pulled away and nodded, wiping his tears away.

-“Alright then, shall I cast new butterflies?”- Harry nodded and Draco casted new butterflies on Harry’s skin.

-“This one looks different.”- Harry noticed. A name appear above the moving butterfly, making Harry choke up.

-“It’s a reminder. He’s always there with you.”- Two other names appeared above other two butterflies,  
-“Just like your parents are.”-

-“S-sing me a song?”- Harry requested. Draco nodded.

-“Un plus un font deux  
Deux plus un fait trois  
Trois moins un sous le M  
Toi, tu me tires assis, les larmes ou la pluie  
Fais chavirer les nuages  
Et si le soleil descendra du ciel...”-

Harry couldn’t help himself and he kissed Draco. Draco kissed him back softly but he was the first to pull away, earning a small whine from Harry.

-“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”- Draco said shakily. Harry took Draco’s hand in his and intertwined their fingers together.

-“I like you.”- Harry said firmly. Draco smiled and kissed him softly.

-“I like you too.”-

**~•~**

Recovery wasn’t easy for either of them. There were a lot of ups and downs.  
They decided to seek help from a Mind Healer and that definitely helped them a lot.

The way wasn’t full of blue skies and sunshines, but it was full of flowers and butterflies.

_“On se protège les uns les autres, jusqu'au bout.”_

**~T H E E N D~**


End file.
